


The Adorable Little Lab Rat

by Hyperballad



Category: Ratatouille (2007), X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Other, Ratatouille Movie influence, cute lab rat, little chef, little professor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2013-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 07:59:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/733275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyperballad/pseuds/Hyperballad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lab rat that dared to dream big. A man whose hardened heart finally met his match.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Adorable Little Lab Rat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seasaltic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasaltic/gifts).



> Hi to everyone who will read this! This story is actually suggested to me by my good friend, Seasaltic and this serves as her birthday gift. I thought it was a good idea to do a spin-off and combine xmfc with ratatouille, due to that comment Erik Lehnsherr made calling Charles Xavier an 'Adorable little lab rat'. Now,my story might be entirely off, but this is the only way I can write it, I hope I did it some justice. There are bits and pieces of stuff I borrowed from the the movie 'Ratatouille' but there are also some other unconscious stuff I sort of added in. I only hope that it will entertain you as much as I enjoyed writing it.

 

Born and raised in a laboratory, who would have thought that a rat could have such a lofty dream of becoming a chef or that he could change the hearts and minds of the people he encountered?

It began like this:

Ever since he was young, this particular rat had been different from the other rats. He had a rather prominent feature: His eyes are blue, his fur a sleek light shade of brown and he is smaller than his other siblings. He was also quite intelligent, so he was used for most experiments and became a favorite at the laboratory. He was in a mammalian facility, mainly rooted in the study of animal psychology and animal intelligence. He was very curious about everything about him and he was especially curious about food. He was placed in a lot of experiments involving this and it made his handlers quite excited with all the testing they had put him through. What they found amazing was that the blue-eyed rat would wash his hands first before holding his food and making sure the surface he placed his food on was clean during the tests. The reason he came about this amazing feat was out of his immense curiosity, watching lab technicians wash their hands in the sink before touching the samples that were given to the rats. This made him assume that cleaning one's paws before handling a meal was important.

"He's doing it again! Quick! Look at this! It's so cute!"One of the lab technicians exclaimed as she watched his every move and recorded it on a camera. Ohs and Ahs from the other technicians as they gazed down at him. The rat stared back at them with bright blue dewdrop eyes that are full of intelligence. Another thing they found of note about this rat is that he likes standing straight up on his haunches, his small paws clutched in front of him like that of a professor. He became something of a small celebrity between the humans and animals alike in his small world in the laboratory.

The rat though, was not so warmly greeted by his own family because they assume that he thinks highly of himself and he thinks of things that a rat should not normally think of. He had tried to encourage them to do as he does, but they only look at him in disdain and since they think him hopeless, he was left ignored. It made him feel alienated from his own kind. He had a sad, lonely life as a pup and was closer to humans than he was with his own kind.

"So what if I'm a rat? Can't I think of things beyond being what I am? I mean, who says there should be a limit? Why should I just settle with being a rat?"

Again, the old argument with his mother, the matriarch of the small rat colony within the laboratory.

"Son, that is the problem. You think you are better than everyone else here, but in the end, you are just a rat like the rest of us, only you are smarter than the any rat I know and it makes you think above and beyond. I understand you, though I suggest you don't put your head in the clouds too much; you will just end up disappointed. "

But the feeling within this blue-eyed rat will not die away. He knew deep inside himself there was something more for him, something more out there, beyond the confines of this laboratory facility. His obsession with food had started all this and constantly watching television with the female lab tech who worked with him. She regularly watched cooking shows because he overheard her saying to a colleague once that she wanted to 'impress this man' she was seeing. Yes, he understood what they were saying. He was initially taught to understand simple and basic commands, after his handler started him on the English alphabet, but little did they know his intelligence was above the 'basic' guidelines. He strove to understand the human language and had succeeded in this secretly. The blue-eyed rat was riveted to this other world being shown to him on the television and his eyes grew bright at the thought of being able to do something as amazing as creating first class dishes.

The lab tech carried him around with her in a small cage, which of course, the rat knew how to open and he would scamper off to the lab pantry to study on the various tastes of the limitless food in the shelves and the storage containers when the technician was distracted. This cultivated in him a distinctly strong sense of smell and taste as he studied flavors, spices and textures and added to his already growing skill, making him even more important in the study they were pursuing in the lab. He even had access to a cookbook that the female technician leaves at her desk and after everyone had gone, the rat would tinker with the lock of his cage and climb up her desk to read it deep in the night. He almost knew the entire book by heart.

He had grown fond of his handler. Her name is Jean Grey and she was very nice to him, she gave him things to nibble on and she carried around this notebook where she wrote down her findings after he ate the food she gave him or sometimes she noted the foods he liked and disliked. She affectionately called him ‘little professor’ because of the way he stood on his haunches and the way he carried himself.

"Now professor, we have one of our maze experiments set up again. It's more complicated than the last one, but you will impress us, am I correct?"Jean asked him as she placed him down on the table in front of a large wooden box with a clear glass top. Beneath the glass was the 'maze'. The rat squeaked back a reply as if he was telling her this was nothing. Bobby Drake, a lab tech colleague of Jean Grey frowned.

"Why do you talk with him like that, Jean? He doesn't understand what you're saying to him-"

She just gave Bobby a small smile and then she gently used one finger and smoothed the soft fur at the top of the blue-eyed rat's head. The rat with equal gentleness took her finger away from his head and held it in his paws. His bright eyes regarded her curiously. Jean let out a breath and her smile widened.

"Bobby, can you see this? No other rat can do what he does. How can you say that he doesn't understand? I almost have this feeling he understands everything we say to him. Don't you, professor?"

The rat was looking at her solemnly now, squeaking a short response. Bobby just sighed, grinning and then he opened the small door to the maze, knowing that the rat will automatically enter because he was trained to do so.

"Well then professor; let's get this show on the road!"

The rat did not move to obey him. Instead, he turned to look at Jean, waiting for her to tell him what he needed to do, acting as if he was about to be briefed on some mission. Jean returned Bobby the same grin he was giving them earlier and now Bobby scowled down at the rat. Jean spoke seriously to her little professor.

"Professor, in this box there are four electrical switches. You have to pull them down so you can open the door to get to the food on the other side, but you have to make your way through the maze to get to each switch. There are dud switches all over. You have to figure out which one has an electrical circuit that will trigger the doorway. Are you up to the challenge?"

"He won't be able to do this. It's too hard for him-"Bobby grumbled.

Jean just looked amused and then she patted the little professor's back. "You can go in now," she said in a soft voice and the rat sped off, running on all fours, his snout nervously twitching as he sensed his surroundings within the maze. He studied the perimeter and then he saw the electrical wiring and followed it, smelling the copper within the plastic coils. He found each switch quickly and with ease, making his way through the maze as if he knew which side to turn to, he was not even making random lefts or rights. He knew exactly where to go.

"Impossible!" Bobby said in an awed voice as he recorded everything on camera. Jean was beaming proudly when the professor went through the door in minutes. Strangely enough, he did not eat the delicious morsel, which was a small red velvet cupcake in a Petri dish. He sat on his haunches and looked up at them, his nose twitching up in the air and making a deeper squeak. Jean laughed. She left them and then returned with another Petri dish full of water and placed it before him.

"I know professor; you have to wash your paws first before you eat!"The rat solemnly began to wash his paws and then he shook them slightly, as if to shake some of the water off, then he sat before the cupcake and carefully took a small piece from the cake and ate of it, squeaking repeatedly as if he was delighted.

“That rat is just-”Bobby began.

“-Amazing, isn’t he?”Jean finished for him as she stared down at her pride and joy.

He knew that they studied his movements and understood that in return for his compliance, he was rewarded and treated with special care than all the other rats in the lab which gave him free access to do as he pleases and to continue his own studies. So this went on for some time...until a fire broke out in the lab late one night and there were no caretakers to save the other animals in the cages. The blue-eyed rat took action and freed all the animals from the cages because he can undo his own latch from his own cage. He led the smaller animals to safety by taking them through the air vents, but during the chaos, he was accidentally pushed down a disposal tube, the bore was slick and without any means to grip upon. He fell down into the sewage system and he was sucked down along with the muck water into the darkness. The last thing he heard was the keening cry of his mother through the tubes and the sound of numerous sirens.

When he came to, he was lying atop a paper box, which floated languidly over the still sewer waters along with some garbage in the gray and murky light. The smell assaulted his nostrils. He was not used to such a filthy environment. The only place he ever knew was the clean and sterile lab. He struggled to get out of the water and swam for the nearest cement passage way. He was shivering, his fur soaked in with dirty water, snout twitching more nervously than normal. He was crying, his pitiful squeaking drowned out by the rushing sound of water in the distance. He lost consciousness again as he remained lying down on the cold cement floor.

He woke up feeling very cold and very much alone, letting out a small wailing squeak as he realized he was parted from his family. He was naturally afraid. He saw some other rats in there with him and some strange insects, but they could not understand him when he asked them for the way out. The rats were of a strange species he never saw before, black-furred and very obese, their tails obscenely pink and sluggishly whipping about. These black rats only glared at him; they thought him insignificant so he was left alone. The blue-eyed rat quietly slunk away into a more hidden niche, a feeling of despair coming over him. He closed his eyes and tried to think his situation through.

He had of course fallen to the bottom of the facility, where dirty things are thrown away. Finding the way to climb back up is the most reasonable thing to do. This might help him find the rest of his family and to get back to Jean. He wanted nothing more than to be back where it was safe and secure. He opened his eyes, full of determination now. He began to inch his way around the passageway. He climbed up the pipes and then he smelled the air, which was lighter above. He inhaled of it deeply and he began to move faster, his rat heritage finally taking control of his senses.

He moved with amazing speed over the crevices and crags, over the pipes which grew smaller and then he was climbing up the brick walls and out into the open grating of a gutter. It was bright and sunny outside. He stared out at the city apprehensively. He saw the cars, heard their loud grinding passing as he stood at the lip of the gutter, galvanized by everything he saw. It was like what he watched on television, only this was real. He steeled himself and ran out into the open. It was now or never. He rushed into an alley way and began to climb up the pipes again and he nimbly moved upon brick, metal and wood until he reached the top of a chimney and he saw the world before him. The sky was a blazing blue, the air current so strong up at this height it would surely blow him away had he not gripped at the brick so tightly. He saw a lot of people walking in the streets and more cars whizzing by. He saw buildings and houses and he saw numerous places where people dined. Suddenly, the smells came to him, the amazing, varied odors of food, wafting up and awakening his nostrils. There were a lot of good smells and bad smells mingling up in the air. He sat there on the edge taking the entire thing in. His stomach gurgled angrily all of a sudden. He was hungry. He had not eaten for some time now.

He hurried down the chimney and began making his way above the ceiling of the apartment complex he entered into, darting quickly over everything. He entered a small kitchen through a hole in the ceiling and looked about him curiously; the place drew him in because of the warm smell. There was no one around. He hurried down the eaves and then he saw the faucet at the sink. This was a familiar sight. He opened the tap and began to wash himself clean, even using the liquid soap like he saw the humans use washing their hands. He was dirty from his long trek through the sewers and was glad he could use it. After his bath, he shook the wetness off of his body. He sat at the window sill and dried himself under the sun. He was squeaking happily at being so clean again he did not notice the old lady staring at him behind his back, grimacing in disgust. She lifted her broom up, about ready to swat him outside her window when he turned around and looked at her.

She almost screamed, but then she saw those blue eyes staring at her without fear and seemingly full of curiosity, it made her bring the broom down slowly.

"My, aren't you a pretty little thing-"She sniffed, smelling the honeysuckle scent of her hand wash in the air. She came closer and she saw that the rat took a bath at her sink and used her hand wash. This was such a curious rat indeed, he was not just some common rat, she realized. The rat sat on his haunches squeaking up at her, holding his paws together in front of him, as if he was speaking to her (He was apologizing for using her soap and water). His pretty manners and appearance made her smile. She reached out her hand to him and he gently touched her fingertips. She fell in love with him instantly.

He was munching contentedly at the cheese she gave him and she watched him as he ate. He was rather quaint looking as he took the cheese in small nibbles and he did not eat more than he could chew, even when she offered him more. He washed his paws at the sink by himself, washing it from the small droplet of water that came from the closed tap. The rat looked at the old lady with bright eyes. She was dark skinned and she has a shock of white, kinky hair tied in a neat bun at the back of her head. Her glasses were thick, seeming to make her brown eyes swim behind the rims. Her face was not deeply lined. He had seen old people on television before. She moved slowly and appeared to be very frail, but her smile was kind. He was asking her politely if he can stay until he finds a way back to his family. She did not understand him of course, but he would like to think there might be some human out there that could so he attempted to converse with her.

"Poor thing. You must have someone that owns you and you are lost somehow. If you like, you can stay here with me; keep this old lady company-"

The rat seemed to understand what she said because it began to squeak rapidly and reached out to hold her fingertips again when he climbed the table lithely.

"By Jove! I think you actually understood what I said, didn't you now?"The rat, in response sat back on his haunches, his eyes smiling up at her, so full of expression as he kept on holding on to her fingers.

He had stayed with her for months and she seemed to enjoy his antics when he made every attempt to cook food using her kitchen. A rat that wants to cook? It made her laugh so, and not in an unkind way because who would not love such a special creature as this? She found it all curious and yet she allowed him to do what he wanted to do. He seemed to like looking through her cookbooks, like he understood the words written there. At some point, she was sleeping in the couch as was her custom, when she was awakened by a tantalizing smell. She opened her eyes, wincing as she stretched her back, shuffling forward on her slippered feet to the kitchen and saw that her little rat prepared some soup.

"That smells so good, Charles-"She had given him a name and he immediately accepted that name because he responded to it when she called him. He gestured for her to sit and he used his paws to bring up a small spoon towards her. She took the spoon.

"Why thank you dearest," She dipped the spoon into the warm, golden-colored soup and brought it to her lips. She uttered a small cry of delight and giggled.

"Charles! This is so delicious! How did you-"

Charles gestured to the cookbook he had open to a page about soups, squeaking proudly. He continued to cook her sumptuous meals and she was beginning to become healthier because of it. She began watching him as he cooked because he moved around quite quickly, his actions almost acrobatic, it entertained her. She did not find him disgusting at all because she knew he was a clean rat and he was fastidious about making sure everything was clean. She even let Charles sleep on the pillow next to her in her bed. There were times he seemed to cry out in his sleep and she would look down at him in worry because his back would be heaving as if he was convulsed, but he was actually having a bad dream. She saw the troubled look upon his expression, never had she seen a rat do something like this. She thought he must have suffered some trauma and she would use her pinkie finger and smooth the fur down his back until he calmed down.

She spoke to him as she would to another human being and she told him he was having a bad dream again last night. He understood her, growing still as he stared up at her, only his snout twitched, his whiskers tensing.

"You must have had something bad happen to you, Charles. I wish I knew how to make it all go away. There now, it's ok. I'm here," Charles let out a wailing squeak. She held out her palm and he quietly lay his head on it, his eyes over bright as if he wanted to cry. But he did not know that more sadness will come his way because the old lady, much as she had become healthy with the care he took to feed her, died peacefully in her sleep during the night. He woke up in the morning and he noticed something odd about her. She was not moving and her skin was cold to the touch, yet there was a slight smile on her face, lying upon her back, her fingers splayed over the blanket that covered her. Charles instantly knew she was dead. He knew what being dead means. He had watched as one of his siblings died before in an accident at the lab and how he and his mother along with his entire family suffered during that tragedy. Now here was a new tragedy before him.

"Oh Lady Ororo," Charles wept quietly as he pressed his snout to her face, overcome by grief over losing his closest friend. She had introduced herself to him as if she was addressing another coherent being and he will never forget her for that. She did not treat him like he was just a dumb animal. The happiest times he ever had were spent with her. Now she was gone.

Charles recalled when she had introduced herself to him.

"My name is Ororo Munroe and I am pleased to meet you!"She smiled at him kindly and offered her forefinger to shake his paw. He gently used his paws now and held her cold forefinger, touching it in a final farewell.

"Goodbye. Thank you for everything-"There were tears falling from Charles's eyes. He had always wondered why such a frail, old lady lived all alone by herself, having her groceries and supplies delivered to her. She had never left the room. Charles did not want to leave her unattended to so he activated the smoke alarm in her bedroom by lighting up a paper in a dish. He stared at the room one final time, then he climbed down the window and made his way back into the city, alone once more.

He wandered the streets stealthily, moving as quickly as he can because he could not understand why people cried out in disgust when they saw him. Earlier he was moving quietly on his haunches, still sad over Ororo's death and then he heard a piercing cry of "Rat!" Some hard object was thrown at him, it hit his tail and it hurt him as he ran into hiding into one of the alleyways. His chest was heaving as he tried to recover himself and began to make his move once more. It dawned upon him that when he was down there in the sewers, he was taken at a farther distance away from the facility and the fact that he did not know what the facility looked like made the search all the more impossible. He only knew it was called Xavier Institute.

Charles almost wanted to give up even trying to move. Perhaps he could just let the humans stone him to death, allowing him to end his misery, but it seems, fate was kind to him once more. He slipped quietly into one of the buildings, feeling sorry for himself. He wanted to find a place to rest his weary body. He sniffed at this location. It smelled of the lingering food smells and warm kitchen scents. He immediately perked up as he looked about. Yes, it was empty of people. He was looking about at the various utensils and cooking contraptions as he jumped from one stainless steel work area to another. There was some soup left cooking under a slow heat in the ill-lit kitchen. Charles visibly wrinkled his nose in distaste. The soup smelled terrible! It was made with soup bones, but it was poorly seasoned that a cloying meaty smell rose from it.

He didn't know why he did it, obviously a human left it cooking there and may return at any moment, but Charles felt the need to fix that loathsome-smelling soup because he was sure it did not taste any better too. He washed himself up under a sink, using a dry towel to wipe himself dry vigorously. He climbed up the heating duct to get a blast of hot air, drying himself further and washed his paws once more before grabbing some herbs that were lying about in the herb receptacles and began the task of fixing the soup. He added garlic and onions and some white wine, celery and crushed ginger, a tempered combination of pepper, salt and spices. He was immensely enjoying himself as he jumped about, making the soup into some perfectly heavenly broth. The smell was amazing now. He was about to toss in some carrots when the light suddenly turned on and he was face-to-face with a bespectacled young man who stared at him, open-mouthed. They were both staring at each other in shock.

Charles let out a squeak of fear and hurriedly tried to run down the table, but the man grabbed a colander and slammed it down over him, preventing his escape.

"Let me out! Let me out of here!"Charles screamed, feeling his throat tighten, his heart hammering in his chest. What will the human do with him?

The man only heard his loud squeaks as he held down on the colander. This was very shocking indeed, to see a rat cooking before his very eyes. What kind of rat could this be? What species? He had never seen blue-eyed rats before. Hank turned to look at the soup in the metal pot, the smell rising off of it was fragrant and inviting, his mouth watered at it. He reached for a jar and then he slowly lifted the colander. The rat scurried about once more, but Hank deftly caught it in the jar, pushing the small body towards the rim and then screwing on the cap, being careful not to hurt the rat. He punched holes into the cap so that the rat may breathe freely. The rat looked like it was about to have a heart-attack, looking at him with wild, frightened eyes. It's small chest was heaving rapidly as it pressed itself down into a small ball of fear.

"H-hey, little fella calm down now!" Hank seemed to coax the rat awkwardly. His attention went back to the soup, then to the rat, then to the soup again, unable to believe what just happened, but he saw it, the rat fixed his awful soup. Hank lifted the ladle and dipped it into the pale yellow soup and brought it to his lips. His eyes widened again and he stared down at the rat in awe.

"Oh my God! You can cook!"

Charles spoke to him indignantly even though the human did not understand. "Of course I can cook! Please let me go, Human!"

Hank suddenly put the jar down, sliding down to the floor and putting his hands to his head.

"No it's not possible! I must be out of my mind!"He looked up and asked the rat as if the rat would understand him.

"I'm going out of my mind, am I not?"

The rat slowly shook its head, the fear somehow subsiding from him as he stared at the clumsy-looking human. Hank was still stunned that the rat responded, even with just a gesture.

"Can you understand me?"

The rat nodded quickly this time, wondering if his actions might lead to his release from this glass prison. The man was getting excited now. He lifted the jar towards his face as he stared at the rat in fascination.

"Do you like cooking, little rat?" The rat nodded again.

The man laughed and pressed a hand to his face. "This is just amazing! You can cook. I can't! I don't know if you were sent to me by the heavens, but rat, I have a business proposition for you. Would you like to hear it?"

The rat nodded vigorously.

"If you like cooking, I will give you the chance to cook in my kitchen here. As you can see, it's not in the best condition because of the current management...which is me. This was my father's business and I inherited it from him. He died recently-"The man suddenly stopped, his face twisting painfully and then he continued.

"My mother wanted me to continue the legacy if I can. Although I am not really a cook, I've been trying to learn and I am failing miserably. Will you help me save this restaurant, little rat?"

The rat didn't answer for a while; he was staring at the man in wonder. A strange twist of fate indeed. This was an awkward, naive looking man, but he looked like he was one of the sanest people he will ever meet after Ororo and Jean Grey. The rat nodded and gestured that he wanted to be released. Hank did not hesitate. He gently tipped the jar so that the rat could come out. The rat still moved warily, but when he saw that Hank meant him no harm, he stood on his haunches and clasped his paws together. He squeaked up at Hank. Hank held his palm out so that the little rat can sit on it as he brought the rat close to himself. He beamed down at Charles.

"You're a special little fella, aren't ya? Hmm, what should I call you?"

The rat squeaked out joyfully, jumping from his hand onto the table and then it tipped some flour onto a table surface and using its own paw, it wrote its name on the floured table. Hank could not believe how intelligent this rat was, being capable of even writing its own name. The rat wrote:

'Charles Xavier'

He continued to use Charles because that was the name Ororo gave him and the Xavier stood for the name of the facility where he came from.

"Wow, that is some name! Charles Xavier! Well I am glad I met you then!"

And that was how they struck up a partnership that they both benefited from, Hank McCoy was able to save his father's restaurant and Charles was able to cook extraordinary cuisine to his heart's content. Hank hired new help because his father's original staff had quit and the new ones did not know that he could not cook to save his life. His 'little chef' cooked the meals in batches secretly in a spare room Hank had set up in his father's office. Business was improving so Hank hired a man named 'Logan' to be his new 'Sous-Chef', Sean Cassidy as the Sauté and fry chef, Alex Summers as the roast and grill chef, Armando Muñoz as his head waiter and he hired Raven Darkholme to be his pastry chef. Charles served as the actual executive chef who planned the meals and had the staff follow his recipe. Hank McCoy became Charles's assistant who relayed all the instructions to the staff.

The business continued to flourish. Hank could not believe that his father's restaurant was once more in the limelight like it was years ago. It had received a lot of rave reviews and Hank proudly showed Charles the wonderful things written about his cooking in the papers and the magazines. Charles's dream had finally come true, even though he had to do it in secret because who would ever accept that a rat had cooked the food that they eat? Charles did not mind, he was at least able to prove to himself that he could do this. There was still so much to learn and so much to experience in the culinary arts. He was enjoying the company of his new family even though they did not know who he was. Hank had kept him a secret for obvious reasons. Charles liked listening to their bantering conversation and their laughter in the kitchen. Hank actually encouraged this; he was friendly and kind to everyone on the staff and had treated Charles with the same respect that he deserved.

He lived in Hank's new home and resided comfortably in a dollhouse Hank had bought for him. They both prospered and as time went by their friendship deepened. Hank had confided in Charles that he was smitten with Raven, though she was always so abrupt and unfriendly towards him, wanting to discuss nothing more except the affairs of the kitchen. Charles had also confided in Hank about his missing family, writing it on a piece of paper. He was wondering if they are still alive and well, hoping against hope that they made it back to Jean Grey, who would be sure to treat them well even though they all lived in the lab.

Hank McCoy's restaurant was becoming so famous; his face was all over the papers and talked about on television and all other media. He had never cooked in front of a live audience when he had been asked to do so, politely declining offers of a cooking show, giving him a mysterious quality that seemed to fascinate people all the more, but the fact of it is he was not capable because he wasn't the one that cooked the Haute cuisine served in his restaurant. It was his little chef. Hank had told Charles he felt embarrassed by all the attention. That was the price he had to pay for their rising fame.

"Here's another fun review for you, Hank! 'His masterful dishes are simply divine, touched by an inventive combination of flavors and a skillful preparation that elevates his craft above all others, delivering us from the state of ennui that has ingrained the common mass media chef of the modern era.'"Sean said in a mock foppish voice that had everyone laughing in the kitchen, including Hank. They were celebrating another achievement of the restaurant, which had been awarded a four star rating. Drinks were being passed around after a hard day's work.

"That's too much!" Hank said as he slapped a hand over his eyes, shaking his head. The others continued to laugh as they read more reviews and drank champagne.

"I hate to break up this 'review' party of yours, but I'm just reminding you that the health inspector will be coming around tomorrow," Raven said as she finished clearing her workspace.

"Aw, the kitchen's all clean! We keep it all in top shape here!" Alex said as he guzzled down more champagne and dipped his Crostini into an open jar of caviar. Raven just glared at him. She was the only woman in Hank McCoy's kitchen, but she was also the toughest, probably next to Logan, who was not joining in the festivities as well and was quietly smoking his cigar at one of the worktables, watching everyone else.

Hank grew somber as he gazed at Raven. He could not get over how pretty she is, with her golden-blond hair tied back in a bun, her round face slightly framed by a few escaping curls, how efficient and clean she looked in her chef whites. She turned her dark blue stare his way and was frowning at him.

"We have to make sure everything is in order tonight, Hank. I've worked for a restaurant before that closed up just because some health inspector made an overly exaggerated report about cockroaches. I would hate for McCoy's to close down-"

"I don't believe that a health inspector would be so unjust! Look, McCoy's is an established name-"Armando said smoothly in his fluid accent.

"Exactly! All the more reason we have to take extra precautions! We have to check everything-"Raven retorted and looked around at everyone.

Sean was rolling his eyes at her as he put his fluted glass of champagne down. What a killjoy! The others turned to look at Hank as he stood there quietly, a hand to his chin as he stared down at the floor. Then, he lifted his head and spoke seriously.

"Raven's right. We have to prepare for the inspector. Everyone, I want you to check everything in the kitchen, we have to make the place clean and spotless, enough so we can actually eat off the floor-"

There were groans of protests, but everyone started to clean up and they helped one another wash their work areas, the grill, the ovens and clean up all the pans and cooking equipment. Hank went to check the larder and made sure it was free of any pests. Insect repellent was used to kill off any cockroaches that hid in the vents and the cupboards. They had closed up the kitchen late, only Hank remained. He heard a familiar squeak and Charles came bounding out of the office, climbed up his clothes and settling on one shoulder. Hank let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, little chef. We finished late because we had to make sure everything is clean. A health inspector will be coming to check on us tomorrow-"

Charles quietly regarded his friend and used his paw to pat on Hank's shoulder. Hank nodded.

"Yes, I know. Everything will be okay, but I heard this particular inspector is a bit...extreme-"

Hank held his hand out and Charles settled on his palm and looked up at him with those intelligent dewdrop blue eyes. Hank was smiling down at his sweet little rat when there was a scream from behind him.

"Hank! Oh my God!" Raven cried out, her expression was one of disgust as she stared at the rat in Hank's palm. The rat was shivering and flattened itself into Hank's skin, trying to make himself smaller.

"Raven! What are you doing back here?" Hank asked as he tried to shield his friend with his other palm. Charles was getting agitated. Raven cringed at the sight of the disgusting rat and tried to glower at Hank.

"I should ask you the same thing! Why are you holding that rat and why are you talking to it? Do you realize you will jeopardize your own restaurant if you keep that foul creature in here? Don't tell me this is the secret you've been keeping in your office!"

Hank for the first time showed a far different emotion than what he usually showed her. He was angry.

"You don't know what you are saying Raven! Charles is my friend! He is not foul! He's the cleanest rat I have ever met and you've just hurt his feelings saying the things you've said!"

Raven was indignant as she lifted a palm and gestured to the rat.

"Are you mad? Why should we care about a rat's feelings? It's an animal! It doesn't understand-"

"Shut up, Raven!" Hank cried out and she actually did, astounded by Hank's anger.

Then the little rat lifted its head up and squeaked at her, its expression was strangely...imploring. Its snout twitched as it regarded her with its calm, intelligent eyes. Raven hesitated. She narrowed her eyes at the rodent. Its eyes were a bright blue, the likes of which she never saw before on a rat. Hank whispered something down at the rat and it squeaked back a response.

"Well, Charles is saying the jig is up. We might as well tell you our secret. If you want to leave my restaurant after I tell you the truth, then I won't stop you. I only ask that you don't tell anyone about Charles-"

Raven just looked at Hank like he was a lunatic. She almost wanted to bring out her pepper spray to douse him with it and run out of there like mad, but she steeled herself and stayed to listen to what he had to say. Hank told her how he met Charles and that Charles was actually the executive chef of the restaurant. While Hank was in the middle of what he was telling her, Raven nearly walked out at the preposterous tall tale he was spouting, but then Hank grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"It won't do just to tell you! Look at him! Look!"

Hank put Charles down on the table and he took out a short pencil and a small notepad. Hank placed the notepad on the table and gave the pencil to Charles. Charles took the pencil in his paws and to Raven's amazement the rat began to write on the pad.

[Hank is telling the truth, Raven.]

Raven was so stunned she could barely move, her eyes wide as she stared at the rat with new-found terror. It was intelligent and it was somehow communicating with her! The rat saw her apprehension and flipped the paper away to write on the next page.

[My name is Charles Xavier. Ask me a question]

Raven started in shock and pulled away, putting a hand to her lips, but she did not try to leave. She suddenly turned around to ask him a question.

"Where did you come from?"

[I was raised in a laboratory. I am a lab rat.] The rat paused a moment then it wrote something else at the bottom of the paper.

[Please let Hank finish his story.]

So Raven met Hank's eyes, nodding for him to continue. She stayed...and she listened. All three sat quietly upon the benches in the kitchen. Raven was still trying to digest the story that Hank had told her. The fact that she was sitting here with a sentient rat would probably be the strangest thing that ever happened to her. Charles stood up on his haunches, paws clasped before himself, eyes glimmering like blue jewels. He was a rather cute little rat; he didn't look like one of those gutter rats that she found abhorrent. His fur was a pale brown and it looked clean and fluffy. Charles had the pad in his paws, stealthily giving Hank a sideways glance; he then turned the paper towards Raven after he wrote something on it.

[Hank really likes you]

Raven blushed at those words. Even the rat sees that Hank was smitten with her and she had been ignoring it all this time. She turned to look at Hank and she was beginning to see him in a new light. Hank sensed that he was being stared at so he turned to look at her after wiping his glasses on his chef's apron. Raven was thinking he was very cute too, brown haired and blue-eyed, like his little friend.

"What is it?"

Raven smiled at him for the first time. Hank fidgeted because he could not believe how beautiful her smile is. Now it was his turn to blush. Raven spoke to him gently.

"Don't worry, Hank. I'm not leaving...and your secret is safe with me-"

They were closing up the kitchen when Charles jumped onto Hank's neck while Raven was bending down close by, helping clear off some of the remaining crates that they had to re-use for the fresh produce that will arrive in the morning. Charles deliberately did this to Hank to startle him. Hank cried out in surprise causing Raven to stand up quickly as their bodies collided. Charles scuttled off to safety, laughing inwardly as he looked on at them. Raven tried not to bump into Hank, but she lost her balance and nearly fell on a crate. Hank reacted instantly, he wanted to brace her fall so he pulled her away from harm and she fell on top of him instead.

They were like that for some time, looking at each other, then they suddenly kissed. Charles was squeaking delightedly from somewhere and Hank had to chuckle.

"That naughty little chef-"Hank began to say but Raven just kissed him again to shut him up.

 

Hank thought the clouds would be clear for him today because he could not believe that Raven liked him too and that they had kissed, all thanks to his little chef. He was on cloud nine that morning, both he and Raven would exchange secret smiles when he went into the kitchen and they flirted quietly with their gazes. But this was not to last. Come midday, the inspector arrived. He barged in and was already looking about the kitchen, his expression cold and unfriendly. He blandly went on with his inspection, with Hank looking slightly nervous and trying to calm down.

The man introduced himself as Erik Lehnsherr. He wore a rather severe dark gray suit and over this, he wore a black coat that he did not take off. He carried an inspection chart in his hand. He was actually a good-looking man, if he wasn't glowering. His coppery hair was parted to the side, his blue-green eyes deep and penetrating, seemingly meant to intimidate anyone he looked at. His voice was gravelly when he spoke.

"I'm quite sure that McCoy's would not have been this clean, if you had not known I was coming," He sneered at Hank as he inspected the larder. He went everywhere, especially into the dining area itself and wrote anything of note. Overall, he deemed the restaurant quite acceptable. He was about to leave when he noticed something on Hank's collar.

While Hank was babbling on, thanking him for the inspection, Erik reached out and gripped something that he saw on Hank's uniform. They were tiny, pale tufts of rat fur. Inspector Erik grinned darkly at him.

"What could this be? Mr McCoy? Are you hiding something that perhaps the patrons of your esteemed restaurant should know? These are rat hairs-"

Hank swallowed. He was at a loss of words as he gaped at Erik, his brow suddenly cold with sweat. The other chefs stood about uncomfortably, but Raven jumped in to help Hank.

"How could you be so sure those are really rat hairs? I'll have you know inspector, one of the delivery men for our vegetables had Mr McCoy try a fur coat he was selling off. That's where the fur came from-"Raven said coolly as she met the cold gaze of the man, saying an outright lie.

Erik did not say anything at first, but then he gave her a mocking smile as he put aside his chart.

"Nice save, Miss. But rest assured, I'll be keeping a close watch over McCoys for the time being-"

"Fine, we have nothing to hide!"Raven said defiantly.

Erik tipped his head her way, grinning wickedly and then he left. Hank nearly collapsed, hyperventilating. He reached out for Raven's hands and kissed them, much to the surprise of the other staff.

"Thank you, Raven!"Hank exclaimed as he stared up at her happily. Raven was slightly uncomfortable at his open affection yet she did not pull away. The day went by uneventfully and it was another day of work in their busy kitchen. Little did they know that Erik was lurking close by, watching for anything amiss. He had assumed Hank McCoy might actually be serving rat meat to his customers. What he found out was far more amazing than rat meat on the menu. He had stealthily entered the establishment again and was hiding in one of the cleaning closets. Hank ambled close to his line of sight, watching him through the small vent of the closet door. Hank opened the door to his office, then he heard a squeak. It was the squeak of a rodent, Erik was sure of it.

"Little chef! I have good news for you! We have three top food critics that will be coming to McCoy's tomorrow! What do you say we blow them away with something new?"

More squeaking, as if the rodent was actually responding to McCoy. Hank entered the door and closed it behind him, but he did not close it tightly enough, it was open just a crack. Furtively, Erik stepped out of the closet and walked on tiptoe towards the door, staring through that tiny sliver and Erik saw enough. Inside the office was a state of the art kitchen and at the stove was a brown furred rat, who was stirring a ladle into something cooking, standing on a block of wood. The rat picked up some condiments as it poured it into the food, using its paws. Erik nearly vomited yet at the same time, he was strangely fascinated by what he saw. An amazing little rat that can cook! So this was McCoy's secret!

If he had that rat, he could rake in millions and not have to slave off doing a bland inspection of eating establishments. Erik grinned wickedly. He was going to find a way to capture that rat. He hurriedly left and stealthily made his way out of the building once more. He needed to buy a small cage to put the rat in and then he needed a getaway vehicle. He was smiling malignantly to himself at the thought of that rat.

It was by accident that Charles was discovered by every one of the staff that night. Charles had asked Hank to get him wild fennel for the pork dish he was creating, but Hank brought him bulb fennel instead and to Charles's palate, the bulb fennel will not do. He had to make this roast pork to perfection. So Hank hurried to get the ingredient from a nearby organic grocery and had accidentally left the door open again. Hank took his time returning. Charles had gotten impatient and had thought the others would not notice him so he ventured out of the office and headed for the kitchen to wait on Hank. The passageway was close to the dining area's door and as Charles peeked over, Armando pushed the door open, causing Charles to be flung right in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Rat!" Sean screamed and he immediately grabbed for a mop, trying to attack the rat with it. Charles scurried off quickly before he was slapped down with the mop. The others were crying out in disgust as well.

"I'll kill it!"Alex said as he brandished a broom to try and swat it down on the rat that darted off, avoiding the attack. Charles was extremely frightened, staring at them with wide, hurt eyes. Armando hurriedly closed the door and tried to help in the annihilation of the rat.

"Wait! Please, don't hurt him!"Raven shouted when she got back from the larder and saw the melee. But the others won't listen to her. They continued to attack him. Logan had already brought his butcher knife out and let out a roar as he thrust it forward to kill the rat. Raven reacted instantly by kicking the knife from his hand and she opened the backdoor where Charles was closest. She met the poor rat's eyes.

"Run, quick!"She implored him. Charles rushed out of the backdoor on all fours, his heart clipping painfully in his chest in his fear. Logan pushed Raven away to give chase. Hank arrived in time, blocking Logan's path.

"Logan, don't you dare hurt Charles!"Hank screamed as he had both hands out, shielding the rat from their ill intent. Logan was looking at him strangely.

"Charles?"He queried.

The other staff were looking at him now, even Armando who had left the guests unattended and are being served on by the other waitresses in the dining area. Hank quietly held his hand out to the rat, who did not flee anymore and climbed into Hank's hands, still slightly trembling. Hank smoothed the fur on the rat's back. Then, he looked up at his staff solemnly.

"I guess I should all tell you the truth then. This rat that you tried to kill, he's one of us. He's our executive chef. He's not just some rat, he is the best cook I will ever know in this world and he's my friend. The truth of the matter is, I don't know how to cook. He was the one having you serve all those recipes and cooked all the amazing food that came out of our kitchen,"

Logan glared at Hank angrily. He took off his apron and flung it down to the ground.

"That's it! I'm not working for some Nut job! If you wanna go kiss that rat's ass, Bub, be my guest! I'm done here,"

The others started to leave as well, disappointed in Hank. Hank was bending his head down in shame, saddened that he could not justify his friend's amazing existence and skill to them. Raven spoke to Logan, grabbing his arm before he turned away.

"Listen to him, you idiot! Listen all of you! Let him show you what this rat can do and you will know Hank is telling the truth!" Raven turned desperately to Hank.

"Show them, Hank! Like what you have shown me-"

Hank lifted his head and looked at Charles first, who was staring at him with those blue jewels, eyes glimmering with affection for him. He took out the small pad paper and the short pencil, putting Charles on the ground and giving it to Charles who took it in his paws. The others crowded around and looked down at this curious thing happening before them.

Charles started to write on the piece of paper slowly, drawing shocked cries and baffled expressions and then he held out what he had written for all to see, his snout twitching nervously, his eyes pathetically begging for their acceptance.

[Hello, everyone. Please don't be afraid of me. I just want us to be friends.]

Sean gaped down at the rat, eyes wide. "Holy Moses! It writes!"

"That's not all he can do! He's the smartest rat I have ever seen! Maybe he's even smarter than you," Raven said as she looked down at the rat proudly. Sean had to chuckle at that.

Logan still looked skeptical and turned away from the rat dismissively. When he spoke again his voice was gruff.

"Pah, so what if it writes? Okay, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and let's assume this rat really is the best cook in the world. What does it matter? He's a rat! A rat cooking food will just be looked down upon! Rats have always been thought of as dirty and disgusting creatures, harboring disease. He will never be accepted as a chef,"

Hank nodded sadly, smiling down at the rat.

"I know that, but that's not what matters. Don't you realize what Charles's existence means? That even the littlest creature of God can do something so amazing; He's more than just a rat. He has such a brave heart, he defied all logic and he dared to cook. So even if the world will never accept him, I will recognize him...and that's all I care about."

Charles's expression softened, eyes glimmering as if he was about to cry again.

Everyone was still standing there, quietly regarding the rat, making them think of what Hank had just said. They all stood there is silence for some time. Logan finally relented. He turned back to face them, squinting down at the rat.

"Well next time, he should just instruct us how to cook the food, at least if people found out about him; they won't think their food has germs-"

"Charles is the cleanest rat there is! He washes his paws and takes baths! Let him do what he is passionate about!" Raven said indignantly.

Sean and Alex began to laugh. Armando stood by, smiling faintly and still feeling amazed by it all. Hank was holding his little chef in his palm, his hand held out before him.

"I hope you guys won't quit now. We had such good years together and I trust you with everything about McCoy's-"

Before Hank could continue something whizzed by him, making him fall to his feet and Charles was snatched from his hand quickly.

"Hey!" Hank yelled out, looking up to see a man on a scooter making off with the little chef. He recognized the man. It was Erik Lehnsherr, the mean inspector from earlier. He had Charles in his clutches as he drove on. Raven and the others looked on in dumbfounded surprise, then Logan, Hank and Raven sprang into action.

"Sean! Alex! Stay here and tend to the kitchen. Armando, check on our guests. We'll get Charles back," Hank said tightly and then he along with Raven and Logan jumped into Raven's Mini Car to give chase to the kidnapper.

Erik was chuckling to himself. He stuffed Charles into a small cage he had between his legs on the scooter seat as he drove forward on his scooter. The rat was squeaking in protest and squirmed against his grip, but he managed to close the cage over the creature.

"You're mine!" Erik gloated and then he started to laugh throatily. He noticed in the side view mirror of the scooter that he was being chased by those buffoons from McCoy's.

"Oh no you don't! This rat will make me filthy rich!" Erik muttered as he drove faster, knowing that he can outmaneuver them using his scooter.

Hank opened his window and shouted after him.

"Give us Charles back!"

Erik was laughing at the thought that this rat was named Charles. So, they gave it a name. How cute. Erik went through the narrow alleyways to avoid them as he made random lefts and rights, trying to lose his pursuers. He thought to bring Charles right through the narrow pass at the docks so they would not be able to follow. They were some distance from McCoy and his merry crew now, Erik could still see them. He was almost in the middle of the pass. He didn't realize that the pass was not made for vehicles to go through it and it gave in to the burden, the cement breaking beneath his scooter and both he and the rat were hurled into the water.

"No!" Hank cried out in horror. He saw Erik and Charles fall into the water along with the scooter. Raven drove even faster, tears falling from her eyes at the thought that Charles might have gotten hurt.

"I'll jump in, Hank-"Logan promised as they neared the docks.

Erik emerged, struggling in the water, wheezing for breath. He grabbed at the cage as his scooter sunk right to the bottom. He hurriedly removed Charles from the cage, carrying the little rat in his hand and holding him above himself as he swam back to the embankment. He saw that Hank and his staff had gotten out of the car and was running towards them. Erik thought the game was up, but then he saw the round lip of an old sewage system, right below the dock's pass. He made his way towards it, his water logged clothes making his movements slow yet he managed to crawl to the top. He could just escape this way and perhaps come out of the other end in through a manhole. He did not know that the passageway tilted downwards. He lost his footing and slid down that large sewage pipe like it was a slide. He hollered out, automatically holding the rat to his chest, so that it will not be harmed. The rat was squeaking and screaming in fear, but it did not fight off Erik anymore. It was too terrified. It was like that time when he was parted from his family. The rat actually clung to Erik, shivering in fear.

They were propelled by more rushing water and then to Erik's dismay, the hole opened up to a new one and he was pushed out by the current and out into another pool of water at the open passageway. The sensation of falling and splashing down into the water sent an icy shock through him, but he managed to hold on to the rat with one hand, swimming weakly against the tide, though he could not fight the onslaught. There was suddenly too much turbulence as he was flung hither and thither. He still held the rat, his heart hammering in his chest, hoping he survives this. Both he and the rat bulleted towards more sewage water, the air reeked with it and then to more darkness, where Erik could not see if they were rushing towards sharp and exposed pipes or just trash. He hoped it was just trash they fall into. They were finally shunted out a smaller bore and Erik fell down hard and then all was silent.

Charles gained consciousness first, looking at the somehow familiar terrain of trash and sewer water before him, water constantly rushing and falling from the pipes overhead. The man was still unconscious; his hand on top of Charles's back, his grip loose. Charles crawled away from him and regarded the man's face in fear, hoping he does not wake up yet. He scurried off, his snout twitching nervously. The light was dim yet his own animal eyes could clearly see the eyes of other rats in the sewer with him. These were his black and large cousins, their eyes glittering at the sight of the unconscious man. Charles hurried up and climbed the stone wall, leaving the man to his fate.

He will have to somehow find his way back to Hank again. He was almost up the pipes when he suddenly heard the sewer rats screech something out. Charles was familiar with this language since he was a rat himself. He distinctly heard them say 'meat'. Charles looked down in horror, realizing that the black sewer rats meant to eat Erik. The rats were slowly advancing in on their prey, making odd slavering, crooning sounds, teeth bared. Charles let out a squeak of indignant anger and in a flash, he jumped down the wall and stood before the fallen human, his own teeth bared, hackles rising.

"Don't eat this human!" He screeched out at them, his expression set wrathfully. This human may have meant him harm, had kidnapped him from Hank, but he was still a human...and Charles had been around humans for so long he almost thinks like he is part human, he could not see himself eating his own kind. Since he was 'part human', he did not think humans are for eating as well. He was outnumbered by numerous rats. They laughed at his pathetic attempt to intimidate. Charles reacted with his quick thinking; he saw a half gallon of gasoline laying there with the trash, he actually smelled it before he saw it. It was still half-full. The rats were moving sluggishly forward. Charles rushed to the gasoline container, unscrewed the cap and he took a discarded old shoestring and tied the container to himself using the plastic handle, then he dragged the gasoline forward using his body, spilling it in an arching line around the human. The container was lightweight so he was able to easily drag it. The sewer rats did not understand his actions.

Charles needed something to cause a spark. He saw amongst the trash an old lighter. It was dry. Charles gripped it in his jaws and took it to the dry area where he poured the rest of the gasoline. He used his dexterous paws and spun the wheel. It did not spark immediately. He was in a state of panic. He had to do something quickly. He saw a broken brick close by and dragged the wheel of the lighter on it repeatedly and then he did get a spark. A rat had already advanced on Erik and was eating the toe of his shoe. Erik had gained some consciousness and in the dim light saw that a rat was attempting to eat him. He was still too weak to move, his vision hazy. There was suddenly some fire, he saw the orange light flickering in the murk and it brightened everything. The rat at his feet hissed out and was squeaking in protest. Then, he saw Hank's rat, Charles, carrying a twisted fork like it was some sort of pitchfork and it was attacking the big black rat with it, driving the tines at its backside. The black rat screeched out loudly and scampered off, its behind bleeding.

The amazing Brown rat started to run about throwing more trash into the fire so that it will grow bigger, blocking the other rats from doing any harm to him. The brown rat was defending him as he was lying there, unconscious. He saw with horror that there were a lot of large black rats, had he stayed blacked out, they would have eaten him alive, like in the horror movies he watched. The brown rat stopped throwing trash kindle in the fire and lifted the fork up like it was some sort of warrior, holding it out before itself as it waited for the rats to attack.

"Charles," Erik said in a strained voice as he started to gather himself to consciousness. They had to get out of here. The brown rat turned to face him, its eyes wide and full of fear, but bravely soldiering on, protecting him. He had to say it even though the timing was wrong.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you," Erik rasped out.

He got to his knees and then he shakily stood up. This discouraged the other rats that were still anxious to have their 'meat'. They ran off and only a few remained. Erik picked up a piece of old upholstery leg and dipped it into more gasoline that was still pouring out of the container. He lit it on the fire and using it as a torch; he scooped up Charles in his hand. The little thing let out a protesting squeak, but Erik gently smoothed his thumb over its chest using his one hand.

"It's okay. I'll take you out of here now. I'll take you back to Hank," Erik promised and the rat stopped moving.

It understood what he said. It was truly an intelligent rat. The rat was looking at him with those imploring blue eyes. Its paws gently settled on his fingers and gripped it. The little rat nodded. Erik jumped over the flames, his feet splashing on some sewer water and using the makeshift torch, he drove some of the rats away and ran onto the passageway. The rats did not give chase. It took him several minutes , but he was eventually able to find some metal railings that led up to a manhole cover and he was out of the sewers. He had placed Charles in the pocket of his coat to keep his hands free. He sat on a nearby bench, gasping and glad that he escaped the man-eating rats. He carefully put his hand in his pocket and he drew Charles out.

"Charles, are you alright?"Erik asked in genuine concern. He still could not believe that after what he had done, this rat had saved him from being harmed. He suddenly felt some affection for him, all thoughts of using him for his own nefarious means dashed from his mind. Charles nodded, letting out a short squeak. Erik gently touched the top of that sweet rat's head.

"Like I promised, I'm taking you back to Hank," Erik said gently. The rat responded by squeaking happily, its eyes seeming to smile up at him. Erik almost did not want to give him back, but he knew it was wrong to do this to Charles. His face was so full of expression, soulful even.

"Let me go back home and Change clothes first, Charles. I think you need a bath too-"

The blue-eyed rat squeaked back in agreement. Erik took Charles to his apartment and Erik looked on in wonder as Charles darted for his sink and turned on the faucet, taking a bath and rubbing himself with Erik's liquid soap. Erik stood there watching him bathe. Charles noticed he was being looked at and stopped soaping himself, seeming to squeak in indignation. Erik chuckled. So the rat seems to want some privacy. He lifted his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, I'm sorry!"

Erik went into his own bathroom himself and began to bathe. He stepped out, wearing nothing but a towel and then he took a fresh suit out of the closet. He finished grooming himself and then he stepped out of his room and saw that the rat was drying itself at his heater, languidly sitting there, its eyes almost half closed. It must have been so tired from all of its exertions.

"Do you want something to eat, Charles?"Erik asked softly.

The rat opened its eyes wider, trying to rouse itself, shaking its head. Then, it closed its eyes, finally dozing off. Erik gently picked up the rat and placed it in his palms staring at it affectionately again. It was so cute as it slept. Erik took it to his room and laid the poor thing on his pillow and he sat there for a long time just gazing at it. He fell asleep next to Charles at some point and then he felt something warm and smooth pressing against his cheek. It was Charles snout, he was trying to wake Erik up. Erik sat back slowly. It was already morning. Erik stared at the clock worriedly. He picked Charles up in his palms.

"We have to get you back to McCoy's! They need you!" He cried out.

Charles let out a squeak of agreement and then Erik rushed to grab a new coat and he placed Charles in one of his large pockets. He hailed a cab and he was practically running as he went back to McCoy's. He entered the back doorway of the kitchen and saw the staff standing around a table and they seemed to be arguing over something. They all turned to face him, shocked. Hank jumped out of his chair and angrily grabbed at Erik's collar.

"You! What did you do with Charles?"

Every single person in that room stared at him with lethal gazes. They looked positively murderous. There were cries of protest and demands and then Charles let out a squeak from his pocket and everyone grew silent and then anger turned to elation, as they let out cries of joy at Charles's return.

"Charles!" Hank cried out happily and the rat jumped from Erik's pocket to Hank's waiting palms. He gently held his friend and then he looked at Erik with wide, angry eyes.

"I swear, if any harm came to Charles I would have killed you!"

Erik held his gaze."I know and I'm sorry for what I did."

He looked about the room apologetically and then he gave them a grin."I don't want any harm to come to Charles, okay? He...he's special and I think anyone who knew him would love him. I must admit, I knew him only for a short time, but I sort of fell in love with him-"

Charles suddenly gazed over at Erik, his expression softening again. He climbed into Hank's pocket, took out the pencil and paper himself, carrying it in his jaws and then he jumped down to the floor. He walked on his haunches towards Erik and he put the paper and pencil down. He stood close by Erik's feet as everyone watched and he tugged at Erik's pant leg, indicating he should come close. Erik knelt down and looked down at the rat curiously. Charles began to write on the paper and turned it for Erik to read.

[What is your name?]

Erik stared at the rat, open mouthed. Good God! Charles could actually write! He must be some sort of lab rat that had been experimented on, he thought to himself.

"I'm Erik Lehnsherr," Erik said in a tight voice, still incredulous over this amazing little creature. The rat wrote something else on the paper.

[Will you be my friend, Erik?]

Charles held the paper up for him and he swore the rat actually looked like it was blushing, its tiny nose reddening, its blue eyes gazing at him gently. Erik let out a small laugh, smiling down at Charles with affection.

"I should be the one asking you that, Charles. I want nothing more than to be your friend," The rat squeaked back in delight, the joy in his expression evident.

Hank was frowning down at this exchange, somehow he did not really approve because he found Erik detestable yet something happened between these two that had forged the beginnings of a friendship. In time he may get the story from them, but for now, they have to take care of the business at hand. Hank cleared his throat and Charles looked up at him.

"It's time, chef. The critics will be arriving soon. What do you want us to cook?"

Charles squeaked out a short response and began to write furiously on the paper and then he showed it to Hank. Hank read the contents out loud.

"Loin of pork stuffed with truffles, Rose flavored quail with foie gras and truffle sauce, seafood bisque with lobster and caviar and layered violet pound cake," Hank looked down at Charles, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Little chef, can make all of this on such short notice? We have the rest of the ingredients, but we don't have roses and we don't have violets yet-"

"I'll buy them for you!" Erik offered. Hank gave him a hard stare and then nodded."Alright, we need all the help we can get,"

Logan and Alex prepared the Loin of pork and prepared the quail that Charles will use while Sean prepared the ingredients for the bisque. Raven started in on the other ingredients for the pound cake. Erik came back after 20 minutes; the kitchen was already in chaos as the cooks rushed to help Charles. Charles was in the kitchen with the others, jumping close to one pan and another, making sure that the dishes were being made to his specifics. Erik handed the flowers to Hank, who began to crush the roses using a pestle and mortar. It will be used to marinate the quail. Charles showed them his skill. He was sliding lithely and he was moving with acrobatic speed over the food he was cooking, the others actually stared in amazement. Erik remained to watch this miraculous rat at work.

After Charles showed them how to do it, the other Chefs finished with the rest. Charles sat back on his haunches, exhausted, but feeling so accomplished after his masterful creation was plated and prepared and being served to the critics. By tomorrow they will write another glowing review in the papers. Erik went to him and offered him a spoonful of water.

"Here, you must be tired-"Erik said quietly. Charles looked up at him gratefully and lapped up the water. Erik continued to smile down at the rat while everyone was busy. He held out a tiny white rosebud to Charles.

"This is for you,"

Charles found it odd that a human would care to give him flowers, but he was flattered by the act. Charles took it in his paws, holding on to it awkwardly, looking up at the strange human in wonder. Raven stopped in mid stride as she was taking the crushed violets from the food processor.

"Are you actually flirting with our rat, Erik?" Raven asked testily as she narrowed her eyes at him. Erik smiled up at her sheepishly, smoothing the back of his head.

"I'm just showing him a friendly gesture-"

Raven rolled her eyes in indignation as she continued to cook. "Whatever, you fruitcake!"

Erik bent his head closer and whispered to Charles."I don't care what they call me. You are my adorable little lab rat, Charles and I'll never leave your side-"

Charles hugged the rose to himself and stared up at Erik, his nose reddening even deeper, making him seem like he was blushing again.

 

The stern-faced man entered the laboratory and was looking about. He got permission to enter after he spoke on the phone with Jean Grey. He found the woman, whose red hair was pinned back in a tight bun at the back of her head, wearing stylish glasses and a white lab coat. She put her notes down and went to him, her face hopeful and apprehensive at the same time.

"Is the professor with you?"She asked softly, her eyes shining with the tears she had been holding back. A soft squeak came from the man's breast pocket and out peered the familiar blue eyes and the quivering snout. She had cried with grief for years when she lost him and now he was here before her, alive and well.

"Professor!"Jean could not stop the tears that finally spilled down her cheeks. The little professor also seemed to be crying, his blue eyes shining far too brightly. Jean looked up at the man, holding up her palms.

"May I hold him?"

The man gave her a small smile, making him look handsome all of a sudden and took the rat out gently and held him out to her. Jean pressed the professor to her cheek and she felt that smooth snout and paws press against her affectionately. She heard and felt the little rat sigh in content. She looked up at the strange man that had informed her that the little professor lived with him, her eyes full of gratitude.

"He's called Charles Xavier now, isn't he? That he is also a chef? I can't believe it when you told me on the phone. But then you described him to me, I knew without a doubt that it was him-"

"Yes. He has been looking for you for years now; he just didn't know how to start or where to look so he focused on improving as a chef. It didn't take me long to find you. I see you had to move after the fire. Charles wanted to know if you had any news of his family-"

Jean beamed at both of them.

"They are here, Professor Charles. They are safe and sound. If you would like to see them, you can come into one of the testing rooms-"

Charles let out a quivering squeak, his eyes filled with his emotion again. He went from Jean's palm and jumped onto Erik's shoulder. Erik kissed the top of the rat's head and he only had to look into those eyes to know what Charles wanted.

"Charles wants me to come along so he can introduce me to his family,"

Jean gave a short laugh and smiled at them sweetly."Yes of course! Please stay as long as you like and I hope you will let Charles visit us frequently-"Erik nodded minutely, but he returned the smile.

She stopped a moment to regard Charles with the same gentle affection she gave him earlier."I'm just so happy you are safe, Charles! I'm glad Mr Lehnsherr takes care of you-"She could not seem to stop crying as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and led them to the testing lab.

Charles squeaked back a response. Erik gently reached up and smoothed the side of Charles's cheek.

"Here we go, Charles and don't worry. We'll go back here every day if you like-"

Charles had never thought that he would get this far, his dreams finally came true and now his second and third miracle, namely meeting Jean Grey again and seeing his family made all the trials he had gone through wash away and surprisingly enough, his fourth miracle would probably be Erik Lehnsherr himself, the only human in this world that loved him. He wanted to tell Erik that he loved him too, but Erik just smiled down at him, seeming to know what he was thinking about that at this point, no words or gestures were necessary.

 

_**Rev-EBH** _

 

**Author's Note:**

> There is actually a part two to this fic. It's called : Will you still be my friend, Erik?
> 
> You will find it on this link:
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/2889683/chapters/6450626


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